The Merry Misadventures of Florian the Great
by Rain-chan
Summary: Florian, the foremost expert on being left out of the loop, is off on a grand adventure of his own! Follow him in his quest for greatness, as he...as he...well, as many misadventures ensue.
1. The Adventure Begins

**The Merry Misadventures of Florian the Great**

_A story brought to you by_

_An Author_

_Who just watched a movie on TV._

**Disclaimer: I don't claim to own Tales of the Abyss or any of its relevant characters…that is, I am disclaiming ownership of said game and anything pertaining to said game. The end.**

**Chapter Summary: It was all because of that little white kitty…**

* * *

Everyone remembers Phone…er, Fon Master Ion, sickly-sweet, girly-voiced, too-feminine little doer of good.

But what of poor little Florian, player of hide-and-go-seek, eater of bagels, and less-important Fon Master Replacement?

Well, the simple, hard truth is, no one cares about Florian. He's just an eensy-weensy little speck of dust in the wind that is life. Which is where our story begins.

It was Cleaning Day at the fabulous Daath Cathedral, that horrible place in which it's infuriatingly easy to get lost and die cold, hungry, and alone. Speaking of alone, Fon Master Florian was feeling quite alone himself, kicking rocks around in the street outside the cathedral.

Florian had recently been banned from any and all Cleaning Days, courtesy of a disaster that it would be best to ignore at this present moment. Suffice it to say, Florian didn't mind Cleaning Day, but Cleaning Day minded him.

Cleaning the whole darned cathedral took an abnormally long time and, since the nitpicky members all insisted on keeping the _whole_ place clean, not just the parts people could see, Florian really had no choice but to stand outside for the better part of two days as the rest of the members of Daath scoured the cathedral from top to bottom, way down in the depths of the Underworld. And, although no one really knew how, they somehow managed to get the ceiling, as well.

Sighing sadly, Florian kicked some more rocks around. He was bored and lonely. Not to mention he was hungry and in the mood for some cookies. He sighed again. No, no one cared about Florian. Even the people who were stuck on the Score tended to avoid him when he wasn't being supervised. He often heard them asking weird questions such as "Is the Fon Master…you know…broken?"

"Am I broken?" Florian asked no one in particular, considering he was all by himself, standing in a little corner, kicking rocks. He didn't _feel_ broken. Plus anyway, he wasn't even forced to read the Score. Florian stopped kicking rocks and bit one of his fingers. And then something caught his attention.

Over there, right by the wall. Something white. Florian stared hard, as if that would make the thing appear again. It didn't, so Florian really had no choice but to go look for himself. Really.

Walking cautiously up to the corner of the wall, Florian peeked around it. And there, to his utter delight, sat a little white kitty, small and fluffy and oh-so-adorable.

Florian, in all his excitement, let out an overjoyed squeak, which caused the cat to start. It stood up, looking as if it were ready to hightail it out of there. (Sorry, the pun was totally intended. I couldn't help myself.)

"No, wait, kitty!" cried Florian. "Don't go!"

But the kitty went, all right. Right down the alley and over a wall.

Florian sighed, feeling let down for a moment. Suddenly, though, he perked up. Florian knew what he was going to do, and, by gum, he was going to do it.

Peering around cautiously, to make sure none of the scary Daath members saw him, Florian crept up to the wall. If the kitty went over the wall, then so would he. Although…although the wall looked very tall from where he was standing…

Shaking his head, Florian decided it would be no big feat to climb over it. The tiny kitty had managed to clear the wall; why couldn't he? For, although Florian was a bit short, and a bit skinny, and a bit girlish-looking, he was far bigger than a little white kitty, and should, in theory, be able to get over the wall with ease.

…right?

It was easy to find a crack in the wall. After that, it was just a matter of managing to get his foot _into_ the crack. Florian had never climbed anything before. He'd seen Anise do it, though. Oh, Anise would be so proud of him! Florian doubled his efforts, and soon he was able to reach the top of the wall with the tips of his fingers.

"Oh, hold on, kitty, I've almost made it!" said Florian hopefully. Just a little bit more…

Florian stretched a bit taller, almost losing his footing. With that final stretch, however, he caught the edge with both of his hands, and, with some serious effort, being as his arms were quite…well, scrawny…Florian hoisted himself up onto the top of the wall.

Cheeks flushed with the effort and the excitement, Florian sat there for a minute, looking a bit like Humpty-Dumpty, dressed in his Fon Master finery. Then, swinging his legs a bit, Florian hopped down just a little awkwardly. He landed a lot awkwardly, though, tumbling onto the dusty ground.

Sitting up, Florian looked around, ignoring the various scrapes and bruises he had sustained from the landing. His heart sank. There was no kitty to be seen. However…there were an awful lot of houses. Maybe the kitty had gone into one of them?

Florian stood up, not bothering to brush the dust off his clothes, mostly because he didn't notice it. He was immediately filled with new excitement, for he had never been in this part of Daath. Usually he was either with Maestro Tritheim in the chapel or alone in the room they had given him. Except when Anise came to visit, which brought him to an entirely new train of thought. After a few minutes, though, Florian looked around and remembered what he had been doing. And so Florian set off to find the kitty and, perhaps, have a grand adventure.

* * *

_Sorry, I just had to do it. Florian deserves a grand adventure, too, you know? Anyway, if you have any ideas for later chapters, or would like me to add anything or anyone, please give the word, and I'll see what I can do. I'm flexible. Literally? Maybe. Oh, and, if you'd be so kind, please leave a review. I'm conducting an experiment, and your simple review would be a great help…or you could just do it out of the kindness of your heart. Either would work._


	2. An Unexpected Encounter

_So, here's the next chapter. Thanks to my one-and-only reviewer, you get another chapter, you lazy readers. IF you're reading this at all. You know who you are. Now, you all get a summary, so hold your horses while I ramble. Rambling makes me happy, you know. I deserve to be happy, too._

…_I don't know what to say, so I'll stop._

…_I find myself listening to the song from Tsubasa: Resevoir Chronicle. I'm…not sure why. Shuffle._

_Reviewer: Of course I'll include the God-Generals. They deserve some fun too, right? And since I'm writing this story, and I say there's no timeline, they can be there. I think I'll have to throw in everyone else, too…the more the merrier. Just…not all at once. That would be serious chaos._

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss. It belongs to Namco. Yay. Carrying on…**

**Chapter Summary: Florian's quest for the kitty continues, but a little problem diverts our little hero from his task…brigands, anyone?**

* * *

Walking through the narrow street, buildings towering together on either side, Florian peered into windows, looking for the white kitty. Several people glanced out their windows when he passed. They would later swear that they had seen the ghost of a little girl wandering the streets, and "she looked so durned _cute_! I was terrified!"

Florian himself was getting a bit terrified. He no longer knew where he was, for the small streets seemed to endlessly branch off, and there was still no sign of the little white kitty. Finally, he just stopped, sitting down against a wall and beginning to sob.

"Maestro Tritheim!" Florian wailed, huddled up against the wall. "Anise! Anise!"

Anise, however, was miles and miles and miles away, trying to sneak a peek at Jade's hand during a rousing game of Go Fish. Florian was on his own.

Florian looked up for a moment, tears rolling down his cheeks, and happened to notice an open door across the way. And…was that the smell of…cookies?

Tears forgotten, Florian scrambled to stand up. All the cookies he'd ever had had always been made by the nice lady down in the kitchens. Maybe the person in the house would help him! Someone who made cookies couldn't be scary, right?

Peeking his head through the doorway, Florian glanced around. He didn't see anyone around, but…yes! There, on the table! Lo and behold, a plate of fresh cookies!

Forgetting his manners, Florian hopped joyfully inside, happily picking up a warm cookie and taking a bite. It was as glorious as he'd hoped, and Florian just had to have another.

Soon enough, most of the cookies were gone, and Florian was standing by the table, happily nibbling on another cookie.

Suddenly, a door in the back door flew open, causing Florian to jump.

"Hey, Bilbo," came the gruff and terrifying voice. A giant, hulking man backed out of the room, carrying an entire table by himself. "Are you sure this thing is valuable?"

Florian stared. Never before had he seen a man so…_huge_. Standing there, staring up at the man, Florian was quite dwarfed, being the little thing that he was. And if that weren't exciting enough, another voice piped up through the door, through which came another, even _bigger_ man!

"Of course it is, Bilby!" said the bigger man, who was assumedly Bilbo. His voice was a bit grating, but Florian was floored rather than frightened.

"Well, it's certainly a good thing you managed to get into this place unnoticed, Bilbo," said the smaller gigantic man, who was probably Bilby. And then he turned around, and his eyes fell on little Florian.

Florian stared up at the giant man with his innocent green eyes, speechless from amazement. Bilby stared back, equally amazed, but quite a bit less speechless.

"Cor, Bilbo!" Bilby shrieked. "What's the runt doin' in here?"

Bilbo turned around, almost knocking a vase to the ground with the chest he was carrying in this ginormous arms.

Bilby continued to freak out. "Bilbo, there ain't supposed to be no little girl in here!"

At that, Florian's voice returned. "I am _not_ a girl," he said indignantly.

Bilby and Bilbo looked at each other for a minute.

"Well," said Bilbo, "We can't really just leave him here to alert the authorities."

Bilby scratched his bald head. "Right you are about that, Bilbo. Here I am, thinking we ought to take the kid with us."

Florian watched this exchange with interest, wondering what exactly they were talking about, and where exactly they were going with that furniture, which he asked them, garnering glares from Bilbo and Bilby but, alas, no answers.

"We'd better just take her-"

"_Him_," reminded Florian.

"Whatever," said Bilbo, irritated at being interrupted in the middle of his scheming. "We'd better just take _him_ along with us unless we want him blabbing to those Daath idiots."

Florian stuck out his tongue in concentration. Did this mean he was going on a grand adventure? Would he get to see wonders never before seen by his young and impressionable eyes? And what about that white kitty?

Before Florian was entirely done pondering these questions, however, he was suddenly and roughly picked up and thrown over the shoulder of the larger man, Bilbo.

Florian accidentally squeaked as he was tossed about like a sack of potatoes. He wasn't used to being manhandled in such a way, and had the breath knocked out of his poor little lungs.

"Wait!" cried Florian. "Put me down! Please!"

"Pipe down, pipsqueak," said Bilbo, picking up a wooden chest sitting next to the front door. "Or we'll just drop you into the ocean and be done with it."

At this, Florian wailed piteously. He had never learned to swim. Actually, he'd never even been near the water, and the prospect of such a field trip pushed the dropping-in-the-ocean part completely out of his mind momentarily, until they felt the need to mention it again after he kept wiggling.

"Besides, kiddo, if you're good, you can be our swabbie," Bilby added as he walked past and out the front door. He was followed by Bilbo and Florian, whose leg was falling asleep.

"E-excuse me," squeaked Florian, "But…um…m-my leg is falling asleep…"

Bilbo shook Florian in a very inconsiderate and bone-rattling way. "That's not the only thing your leg will be doing if you don't shut up, princess."

So Florian had no choice but to stay glumly quiet and painfully limp as he was bumped and jostled all the way down the narrow alley toward their destination.

* * *

_Well, there you go. I hope it isn't too short…I could keep writing forever, but then it'd get too long, and I'd run out of material for chapters. Then who would keep reading? Anyway, please, please review. It's probably the only thing that will help me remember this story…I'm sort of forgetful? That, or just lazy_


	3. Set Sail for ADVENTURE

_I'm so happy that people have reviewed. I'll never forget your kindness. TTTT But enough of that; it's time for your reward. LOOK AT THAT. Another chapter. But first, allow me some ramble-time._

_Death Note? Death Note? What? Please don't ask, I'm not sure. I guess that was…rambling…_

_Oh, right. I'm all done with my scary exam, so I get to work on this story some more. That, and I get more sleep. Yay…this story needs Jade…_

**Disclaimer: I will never claim to own Tales of the Abyss, yet I find myself having to keep doing this horrible disclaimer. Oh well.**

**Chapter Summary: Florian, newly-appointed swabbie of the **_**Face Breaker**_**, meets a familiar face on his high-sea adventures…(bet you can't guess who it is.)**

* * *

"Yar, here we are, kiddo," said Bilbo, Florian still hanging over his massive shoulder. The walk to Daath Bay, while exciting, had been extremely jarring, and Florian wasn't sure if all his limbs were still in their sockets. Still, he had never really been that far out of Daath, and, while no white kitties appeared, there were plenty of other interesting sights to be had.

Florian's thoughtful recap of the journey was interrupted when Bilbo dumped him onto the ground.

"Owwww," cried Florian, lying on the ground in an unceremonious heap. He was largely ignored by both Bilbo and Bilby, who gazed up at their rickety old ship with unbridled pride.

"This is her, runt," said Bilbo. "The _Face Breaker_."

Florian sat up and rubbed at the bruise on his leg. "The _Face Breaker_?"

"Yeah," said Bilby. "She's a real sight, ain't she?"

Well, yes, Florian supposed she _was_ a sight, with her tall stick-things covered in falling-apart sheets patched with what looked like fabric from polka-dot pajamas. Seaweed trailed from the side in a stringy mess.

"Well, time to board, boys," said Bilbo, finally remembering Florian wasn't a girl.

Pushed and jostled, Florian ended up on the deck of the _Face Breaker_, staring the motley crew in the face. He was fascinated. Never before had he seen such people!

"Well, mates, this is our new swabbie." Bilbo pointed to Florian with a gigantic finger.

"Methinks he needs a name, Cap'n," said one of the crew, a short fellow with teeth of gold. Florian, although it was rude to stare, couldn't help himself. Teeth of gold!

Another member of the crew, a man with two wooden legs--wooden legs!--spoke up in a southern drawl (you can imagine it, can't you?": "Well, Cap'n, I'd say he needs a name."

Florian's brow furrowed. "But I have a name!" It was true, he did have a name, and that name was Florian. He couldn't quite remember what it meant…but it was a gift from his Best Friend Anise, and…well, gosh darn it, it was his name!

Bilbo stared at him. "Son, we don't want to hear any sissy name of yours. You need a real pirate name, a real _swabbie_ name."

A unanimous cheer, and the name game was on.

"Red Vasquez!"

"Violent Vassal!"

"Humphrey Bogart!"

Bilbo shook his head at all of these name, except the last one, at which he nearly choked. And then, finally, and idea popped into his over-sized head.

"I've got it!" cried Bilbo in his gravelly voice. "Yar, this runt's name will be…Little Lady!"

Florian stared up at the hulking man with giant eyes. "L-little Lady?"

The crowd cheered. "Here here, it's Little Lady!"

"Cap'n's such a genius," said Gold Teeth, wiping a stray tear from his eye. The tear, while being very unmanly, had squeezed out at the Cap'n's latest creation.

Still dumbstruck, Florian was ushered up to the top deck and handed a mop and a bucket. He was vaguely aware of being told to "argh, swab the deck, swabbie (har har har)", and then he was left alone to contemplate his situation.

To be completely honest, Florian didn't exactly know what a pirate _was_. He now knew that a) they owned big, run-down ships called the _Face Breaker_, b) they had golden teeth and wooden legs, and c) they weren't very good at telling genders. Oh, how he wished Anise were there.

Suddenly, the ship began to rock alarmingly. Florian, clutching his mop for dear life, struggled to keep his footing on the wobbly deck. He had absolutely no idea what was going on, and he was scared stiff. Well, not stiff, exactly. He was technically flopping all over the place.

A cry of "argh, hoist the sails!" sent the giant sheets down in full, where they billowed out in the wind. Florian, although terrified, was also amazed. Such strange new things he was seeing! And with that, the ship began…to move.

* * *

Sailing had been fun for a few hours, but after Florian got used to the rocking and the scenery ran out, he was reduced to his swabbie duties of swabbing the deck. While Florian had never before swabbed a deck, it really wasn't as fun as it sounded, and reminded him much of Cleaning Day at the Daath cathedral.

And the scenery!

At first, there had been lots of islands and town to see as they passed by. But after that, it was just the flat line of the water smushed up with the flat line of the sky. And, even to Florian, who didn't get out much, that was boring beyond all reason.

Florian sighed and sloshed the wet mop around on the wet floor. He didn't exactly know _how_ to swab a deck, so he was trying his best. If the goal was to completely soak the floor, then he was doing great.

Suddenly, cries went up from the deck below.

This was a new development, and much more interesting than swabbing the deck. Florian slipped and slid over to the railing, using the mop to prevent himself from falling over. He was a bit short, and the railing was a bit tall, but he managed to hoist himself up so he could see below.

"Argh, Cap'n, we've got him!" cried Peg Legs. "And his ship, too!"

Florian squinted to see exactly who they'd got. He pushed himself farther over the rail, feet dangling, to peer over the bedraggled crew of the _Face Breaker_.

"Terribly sorry to disappoint you, men," came a voice over the top of the crew's mumblings. ""But this…well, it isn't exactly a ship. Of course, compared to yours…"

"ARGH! What are you saying about the glorious _Face Breaker_?" Bilbo's indignant bark came shooting into Florian's eardrums, causing him to lose his balance, which he desperately tried to regain. Unfortunately, Florian was not the most well-balanced youth to begin with, and easily began to tilt more…and more…and more…

The other voice drifted up lazily. "Oh, nothing, nothing. It sure is a _glorious_ ship you have here, I must say. _Nothing_ compares to this gem of the sea."

And with that last sarcastic line, Florian tilted just a _bit_ to much, enough to send him toppling over the railing and onto the ship's latest passenger, who, unfortunately, happened to be standing directly below.

* * *

_So, I hope you like it. I had to leave off there, sorry. Can you guess who it is? Huh? Huh? I'm sure you can. Now, if you review, I'll be able to confirm your suspicions in the next chapter…and thanks so much to the reviewers. You make me so happy. Well, I'm off to go play Disgaea. Or Tales of the Abyss._


	4. DANCE, DANCE, DANCE!

_Yay, the next chapter. I've been watching Columbo. It's very fun. Although I feel bad for poor Columbo. No one likes him, but he's just trying to do his job. Um…yeah. I'd like to thank my reviewers for continuing to read…and let me know they're reading…which basically keeps this story going. I mean, besides my nimble fingers and quirky mind. Okay, enough rambling. On with the story._

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss, although, legally…I really, really don't own Tales of the Abyss. The end. Wow! It's Comcastic!**

**Chapter Summary: Whimsical events ensue as Florian (aka Little Lady) and the newest recruit take on the high seas. Land ho!**

* * *

Boy, was Florian lucky that the fall didn't break his skinny little neck. Unfortunately, the person who had cushioned his fall didn't feel quite as lucky.

"For someone so scrawny, you really do come down with a tremendous weight, don't you?" sighed the speaker; Florian couldn't really see who it was, considering he was sitting smack dab on top of the poor guy.

Before Florian had the chance to respond, Bilbo came bounding through the crowd.

"Good job, swabbie!" cried Bilbo, smacking poor Florian on the shoulder, which nearly dislocated it. "You caught the demon what was tryin' to board our beautiful ship!"

The "demon what was trying to board our beautiful ship" coughed. "Excuse me, but I object to being portrayed in such an idiotic way."

Bilbo snarled and yanked Florian up by his wee little arm. Still holding onto Florian's arm, he began to wave his arms emphatically.

"Get up, ye bilge rat!" screamed Bilbo, as Florian flopped about. "I don't know who you think you are, insulting the _Face Breaker_ like that!"

The stranger, still looking quite together despite his previously having been smushed on the ground, sat up and yawned.

"My, my, I'm a bit surprised you actually realized I was insulting this piece of driftwood," he said mildly, pushing his glasses back into their proper place.

Florian, being shaken around as he was, squinted, trying to focus on the gentleman sitting casually on the deck of the _Face Breaker_. He looked very familiar, but Florian had seen so many new people in such a short amount of time, he didn't quite remember them all. Plus, his eyeballs were being thrown around in his skull.

Fortunately, the newcomer spoke up before Florian had to hurt himself thinking.

"Why, hello, Florian, how…nice…to see you here," he said casually. "Anise has been worried about you, and I believe I have specific orders to tell you hello, should I see you."

Oh, yes! That was it! It was the funny man Anise was always with. What was his name?

"Jade!" wailed Florian, remembering the name. "Heeeelp meeee."

Colonel Jade Curtiss of Malkuth reluctantly stood up and brushed off his clothes. "Oh, very well. I suppose Anise would have my hide if I allowed your head to pop off."

Florian's eyes widened. _Would_ his head pop off?

"Oh, don't worry, your head won't really pop off. Probably." Jade shrugged. "With these things, it can be hard to tell."

Bilbo stared. "Why the heck are you talking like I'm not here, scurvy dog?"

"Well, you see," said Jade, turning to Bilbo, "It's because, as far as I'm concerned, you're not."

The crew let out a collective "OH NO HE DI'IN'T."

But he did. Oh yes he did.

"Bilbo," cried Bilby, "Are you going to take that from a four-eyed old man?"

Bilbo raised his fists in the air, still, unfortunately, clutching Florian. "Of course not, yargh! I must fight for my honor!"

"Honor!" cried the crew.

"My arm!" cried Florian.

Jade shrugged. "I suppose we can fight for honor if we must. But first, allow me to retrieve my poor little friend, whose shoulder is probably irreparably dislocated by now."

Florian's eyes widened even father. He wasn't sure what "irreparably dislocated" meant, but it sure didn't sound good. Plus, his shoulder was beginning to pop…and snap…

Suddenly, Florian's arm was released, and he hit the ground with a huge _thunk_. Sprawled on the deck, Florian was absolutely certain he was quite bruised, but at least his head hadn't popped off. _Or had it?_ He frantically attempted to grab his head and, with relief, found it was still there.

Jade clapped once. "Good, good. Now, what was it you were saying about honor, _gentlemen_?"

Oh, he had done it now. If there was one thing the pirates of the _Face Breaker_ hated, it was being called "gentlemen". In fact, 93 of the crew had been gentlemen who'd run away from home in a desperate attempt to escape frilly collars and shiny shoes. The other 7 included various reasons for escape, one running from a stalker, another having gotten lost on his way to the grocery store.

"Argh!" cried Gold Teeth. "How dare ye, scurvy dog!"

"We won't stand for such insults!" yelled Peg Legs.

Jade raised an eyebrow. "Well, I was meaning to insult you with sarcasm, but apparently you…well, you defeated the whole purpose of my using sarcasm. That works too, though."

Bilbo, overcome with rage, drew his…wooden sword. The pirates had lost their real swords during a battle with a large, magnetized beast. A battle that they had, by the way, lost.

Jade sighed. He really, really didn't feel like getting his hands dirty. Today was not going well, and he just wasn't in the mood. It had all started at the beach…well, enough of that. Jade didn't want to relive painful memories any more than he had to. Not to worry, though. Jade had plenty of tricks up his sleeve.

While Jade was standing there contemplating, Florian watching Bilbo swing his sword with fascination. Sure, Florian had seen swords before--Anise's friends had them all the time--but…a wooden one! And the way Bilbo swung it around and around like that…it was so exciting!

Suddenly, Jade snapped his fingers, causing Florian, and the rest of the crew, to look his way. Even Bilbo stopped swinging his sword momentarily, although he resumed again after 4.5 seconds.

"Well, Captain Bilbo, was it?" said Jade clasping his hands behind his back in a businesslike manner. "You see, I was thinking of something a bit different than a duel."

"I'm going to slit your throat!" Bilbo screamed. "And then Little Lady will clean up the guts I spill!"

Florian gasped. He didn't _want_ Jade's throat to be slit, and he didn't _want_ to clean up any spilled guts. The mere thought frightened him.

Jade glanced at Florian. "…Little Lady?"

"Yes, Little Lady," said Bilby. "Our new swabbie! That's his job! Swabbing stuff!"

Coughing in order to suppress a laugh, Jade shook his head. "It's absolutely fine by me if you slit my throat. I'm an old man and close to death, anyway. But first, I propose a duel."

Bilbo looked at Jade with squinted eyes. "Didn't you just say-"

"Yes, I did," said Jade. "Are you deaf? I'm not talking about a duel of weapons. More of a duel of…oh, you'll see. _Little Lady_, come over here, will you?"

Florian, although frustrated at being called "Little Lady", scurried to comply. To his surprise, Jade slipped him a small, rectangular device.

"What is it?" asked Florian in fascination. He was seeing so many new things, he was nearly unable to comprehend anything else!

"This," said Jade, "Is a very specific type of fon machine. It captures certain sounds and allows them to be replayed any time the user wishes."

Florian stared, eyes wide. Again. Really, he might as well just keep them wide. Not that they aren't already.

"Now, Florian, when I tell you, push the button with the triangle. Yes, that one, right there."

Bilbo and Bilby looked at each other quizzically. They had absolutely no idea what this strange man was up to, but a small rectangle was no match for the might of their wooden swords.

Florian looked up at Jade, eyes big and full of wonder. "Can I press it? Now?"

Jade nodded. "Go ahead.

And so Florian pressed it.

From out of the rectangle flowed the most amazing, whimsical, euphoric music known to…well, anyone. It was happy, it was addicting, and it was sickeningly cute.

That's right, my friends. It was the one and only…Caramelldansen.

Florian couldn't help but shake his head to the beat.

And then…Jade began to dance.

"Yargh!" cried Bilbo. "What trickery is this?"

"No trickery," said Jade, Caramell-dancing. Boing-boing, went the music, and boing-boing went Jade. He was not worried about his dignity; he had been associated with Dist for far too long to worry about something as trivial as that. Besides, all that time spent with Luke had damaged things further.

Suddenly, Bilby let out an ear-splitting scream. "Cap'n! You can't face that! You can't, you can't!"

The group agreed loudly, but Bilbo was not to be swayed. Putting away his sword, he reluctantly, and horribly, began to bob. Caramelldansen.

* * *

_And that's it for this chapter. Was it long? Was it short? Was it medium? I don't know. For all of you who supposed it was Jade…you were right. Sorry, I just had to add him. What's a funny story without Jade? And my Caramelldansen binge has carried over onto this. Ah, yes. The wonders of Youtube and DeviantArt. I suppose I should add, I don't own the idea for Caramelldansen or the music. I couldn't add this at the beginning…it would've given everything away._

_Anyway, review, and tell me how you liked it. And remember, I'm always open to ideas. :3 And thank you, thank you to my reviewers. _Parsuugi_, _Stitch Phantom_, _Aemiz_, and _KamaraKitsuia_, this is a shout out to youuuuuu. I hope I spelled those right…_


	5. A Bit of Mind Trickery

_Yay yay, more reviews. Honestly, when I read the reviews you send in, it makes me really want to write more. Because I know that people are actually reading it and (I hope) enjoying it. OH MY GOSH. I'm watching the Tales of the Abyss OVA. Luke. Jade. EVERYONE. ;-; It's so beautiful…and now…the land's splitting apart while they nonchalantly chat about flowers?_

…_is that really supposed to be happening? Or did something totally screw up? NO. NO. This is NOT allowed to happen. WHY? Oh, there. Thank goodness. It's all better. Yes, this makes much more sense._

…_okay, done. Now on with the story._

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss, or any other random copyrighted objects that may happen to pop up in the course of this chapter. Who knows? I sure don't.**

* * *

Florian watched in complete fascination as the screen was blocked out by the giant stupid Veoh Web Player Beta sign. No wait, sorry, let me start again.

Florian watched in compete fascination as both Jade and Bilbo performed their best renditions of Caramelldansen. In all honesty, it was one of the most amazing things he had ever, ever seen, although that wasn't saying much.

And then, as suddenly and inexplicably as it had begun, it stopped. Just like that, Jade ceased dancing, and stood there as if nothing at all had happened. He glanced over at Florian, and nodded imperceptibly.

Florian took the hint, and the music stopped. Bilbo was left doing Caramelldansen all by himself.

The crew looked around at each other, not sure what was going on, as Bilbo continued to dance.

"My, my," said Jade, pushing his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose. "Whatever are you doing, glorious pirate captain?"

Florian looked from Jade to Bilbo and back again. He wasn't quite sure what was happening, per se, but boy, was Jade cool!

Bilbo, still dancing, stared at Jade. "What are you talking about? I thought we were having a dance-off, argh."

Jade just shook his head pityingly. "I'm not quite sure what deranged world you are currently in, but I don't see myself dancing. Actually, I don't see anyone dancing…but…you."

Bilbo finally stopped dancing, still staring at Jade. The crew all looked at him, not sure of what would happen next. Jade, however, was absolutely certain of what would come next, because he had calculated it down to the second, as only Jade can do.

"You do realize, O Captain Bilbo, that you've just made a gigantic fool of yourself," said Jade matter-of-factly. "Whatever will your crew think of you now? Who on earth would follow someone as ridiculous as you?"

Growling, Bilbo raised his massive fists into the air. "You started it, you long-haired landlubber!"

"Oh, dead, I'm not so well-versed in the language of the pirates, and therefore am not sure what exactly a 'landlubber' is." Jade shrugged infuriatingly. "Not that it matters. Look at your crew. Can they honestly trust a man who dances like an idiot in the middle of a battle?"

The crew started murmuring to each other, still unsure of what was going on, but sort of rather agreeing with what the funny glasses man was saying. Florian, for his part, hopped from foot to foot, so excited with the whole thing that he couldn't stop fidgeting.

Screaming, Bilbo lunged at Jade, who easily sidestepped.

"Temper, temper. If I were one of your crewmen, I wouldn't be too keen on following the orders of an ill-tempered, hulking, brainless giant like you."

And then Bilby spoke up, astounding all of the crew.

"He's right, Bilbo! You do have an awful temper!"

The crew mumbled in agreement, recalling the incident with the cannonballs.

"And, Cap'n, you aren't too bright, either," said Peg Legs, who actually had a degree in mathematics. The captain's lack of mathematical skills (i.e. 2+27) had always bothered him, and usually led to shorter supplies.

Florian hopped up and down, trying to see everything over the crowd of men who were just so much taller than he was. Unfortunately, the deck was wet, and no sooner had he begun jumping to an adequate height than he accidentally slipped, ending up slamming right into Bilbo's rock-solid side.

The crew was silent. Even Jade had shut up, although he was looking on with a bemused expression. Only Florian made a noise, just a teensy, tinsy little wimper.

And then Bilbo exploded.

"Little Lady!" Bilbo raged, "You are _the_ worst swabbie I've ever employed, yargh! You can't mop, you can't listen to orders, you can't even keep your Godforsaken feet on the Godforsaken deck!"

Florian, sprawled on the Godforsaken deck, stared up at Bilbo with wide, frightened eyes. He was reasonably afraid of being smashed by Bilbo's might.

Suddenly, one of the crewmen, Gold Teeth, spoke up, interrupting Bilbo's tirade.

"Cap'n," he said, sounding irritable, "Little Lady ain't ever even done anythin' to you!"

"Yeah!" cried another crewman, one with amazing dreadlocks. "Hey, mon, tha t'ain't cool, mon! You be watchin' out for dat little one's feelin's, mon!"

Florian still didn't know what was going on, only that he had been yelled at, and now Bilbo was being yelled at. It was all so confusing; was this what the outside world was like?

"Yargh! Mutinous dogs!" cried Bilbo, as the crew exploded in protest.

Florian started when someone touched his shoulder. He looked up into the somewhat-frightening red eyes of Jade, who jerked his head towards the side of the _Face Breaker_. Florian scrambled up, which only took him about a forty-five seconds, and ran after Jade, who was already peering over the railing.

"See that down there?" Jade said, when Florian had joined him. He was pointing to an awfully-shoddy-looking vessel down below.

"Uh-huh," said Florian, nodding his head.

Jade sighed. "That, I am sorry to say, is my…_boat_. We'll have to use it, however full of leaks it may be, and, if we make it back without drowning, I will personally…say hello to Luke."

Florian cast a worried glance at the man who was telling him he might drown.

"Oh, don't worry," said Jade, "I'm sure it's _perfectly_ safe."

"But I don't want to drown," said Florian in a small voice. And he didn't. It didn't sound very fun, and besides, there were lots more things he wanted to see.

Jade looked at him for a moment. "If it's any consolation," he said, "I don't exactly wish to drown, either. There's still a bit of…_business_…I have to attend to. Besides, if you drowned, Anise would probably kill me in an extremely unpleasant way."

Florian perked up at the mention of Anise, although it was in the context of killing in unpleasant ways.

"Well, now," said Jade, looking at the tiny wooden boat glumly. At least the boards covering the leaks had lasted so far. "Shall we be going?"

Florian, glancing behind him at the battle that was erupting onboard the _Face Breaker_, looked fearfully up at Jade, who looked back at him grimly.

"I've never been in something like that before," said Florian. "It looks scary."

Jade shrugged. He really didn't have time to console scared little boys. And so, in one swift motion, he hauled Florian up, tossed him over the side, and hopped into the rickety dingy himself. Although Jade remained neatly on his feet, and Florian ended up in a heap on the leaky bottom.

"There, now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" said Jade, pushing up his glasses. "And don't worry about that water down there. It probably won't cause us to sink for another thirty minutes, at least."

Florian realized, with horror, that he was sitting in a rather sizeable puddle. This was nothing like the _Face Breaker_. Speaking of the _Face Breaker_…glancing back, Florian saw something suspiciously black and smoky rising from the deck of the ship. And then, amid screaming and the clash of wooden swords, the ship burst into flame.

"Well," said Jade, his back to the exploding ship, "Full speed ahead."

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_Sorry it took a bit, I was really getting good at keeping the updates soonish. This chapter might be a bit short, but…I had to end it there, so I could start up the next one. Um…once again, thank you, readers. I always make sure to send you thanks in reply, so I hope you get those. Also, for those of you reading and not reviewing…shame on you. You'll never get cookies. Never._

_And now, a special request! Poor little Florian has so few fanfics out there. It's up to you to save the world! Er…kind of! So, if you have the time, try posting some Florian fics of your own. I so want to read some. And Florian's so much more happy to write about than Ion because…well…you know. I don't want to spoiler anyone, but if you haven't gotten that far, then you shouldn't know who Florian is, and therefore you shouldn't even be reading this and need to go play Tales of the Abyss more. Okay, plea over. Until next time. :3_


	6. Adrift

_Exam on the American government soon. Joy. As if the last one didn't come too soon. I suppose it would help if I did the reading…but…no._

_Anyway, here's the next chapter. I sincerely hope you liked the last one, and remember, please review, just to let me know you care. It makes me ever so happy. It makes Florian happy, too. You want to make Florian happy, right? Right? If you don't, you're a heartless criminal and should be sent to jail. Right now. Oh, and I'm so sorry about the lack of fantastic chapter summary last time. I completely forgot._

_In other news, I'm working on a drawing right now…yes, it's amazing, and no, it doesn't have Florian in it. BUT IT HAS ION. If I can draw it right..._

**Disclaimer: The unfortunate author doesn't own Tales of the Abyss. Just in case you were confused.**

**Chapter Summary: Sailing the high seas isn't all it's cracked up to be, but for Florian and Jade, it's even less than what it's not cracked up to be. Oh dear.**

* * *

Huddled in the bottom of the rickety boat-like _thing_, Florian covered his face with his hands. This was nothing like any boat he'd ever been on. The rocking…it was awful. And the water…the water just kept rising! He was almost certain boats weren't supposed to be full of water. Almost. Just for good measure, though, he asked Jade, his recently-acquired adventure companion.

"Is it…is it supposed to be full of water?" asked Florian rather sickly, because he was feeling awful.

Jade looked down at Florian. "Florian, if boats were meant to be full of water, don't you think that would defeat the purpose?"

Florian sank farther into the bottom of the boat, wishing he could just wake up and be back in his scary, lonely room in the Daath cathedral. Every time he opened his eyes, though, he saw the same rocking, tilting horizon, and nothing else. Florian had never really contemplated dying…well, not since he'd gotten to Daath…but now…

"Mr. Jade," sniffled Florian, "Are we going to die?"

Jade sighed. He really didn't like attempting to console sniffling little boys. Actually, he wasn't fond of consoling anyone.

Florian took this sigh to mean yes, they were going to die. He let out an ear-piercing wail, which caused even hardened Jade to flinch.

"I'm going to die and I'll never see Anise again," Florian howled, burying his face in his soggy sleeves. "And I'm going to die!"

Jade wanted very much to tell Florian to stop his sniveling, they weren't going to die, but, the truth was, he wasn't too sure. And he didn't feel up to lying just to make the kid feel better. He looked up, exasperated. This was all Luke's fault.

While he was gazing up at the heavens, however, Jade saw something completely unexpected and slightly frightening. Up there…that big, red round thing…

Florian continued to wail, until Jade reached down and hauled him up.

"Look there," said Jade, pointing. "What does that look like to you?"

Squinting, Florian contemplated the red blob, momentarily silenced. He wasn't sure what it was…actually, he had no idea what it was. It was very red, though, and very round…and it had some sort of _thing_ hanging from it.

Jade glanced at Florian, then sighed. Of course. Florian was too naïve to recognize…well, anything, really. Must he do everything himself? Was it his destiny to forever be surrounded by people who were…_incompetent_? Hadn't Luke been punishment enough?

Unfortunately, none of Jade's questions were to be answered right then. The thing began to descend. Farther and farther down it went, until it was close enough for Jade and Florian to hear the person inside screaming.

"No! No! I told you not to touch that!" yelled the angry occupant of the hot air balloon, for that was what it was. "Now look what's happening! No! Stop! Let go!"

Florian and Jade looked at each other, then back at the hot air balloon. Florian, though, still had no idea what it was, although it looked simply fascinating. He bit part of his wide sleeve, deep in thought.

Suddenly, quite without warning, Jade whirled around, a look of severe irritation on his normally-composed face.

"No," said Jade, while Florian looked up at him with concern. "No. I do not accept this. This will _not_ happen."

Florian frowned, then turned back to look at the descending thing. And there…there! He saw one of the people inside! With excitement, he turned, tugging on Jade's sleeve to get his attention.

"Mr. Jade!" said Florian urgently. "There are people in there!"

Jade, however, did not share in Florian's excitement. He shuddered, and remained silent.

"Hey! Hey! Don't ignore me!" came a new, different voice, and Florian suddenly realized that there was someone…hanging off the thing that was…hanging off the big red balloon. That's what the top part was! A balloon, like the one Anise had brought him. Oh, but what was it doing?

"I'm going to kill myself," said Jade suddenly and decisively. "That's exactly what I'll do."

Alarmed, Florian looked up at Jade. "No, no! You can't kill yourself!"

Jade sighed. He knew he couldn't kill himself. He was practically invincible. It would be nearly impossible for him to kill himself. Still…

Down, down, down the balloon continued to descend.

And then there was a large splash.

Whirling back around, Florian stared at the mass that had hit the water. A basket, it looked like, the kind you put berries in. Florian became distracted with this comparison, remembering the time Anise had taken him to pick berries. He stared off into space, until some more shouting brought him back to the problem at hand.

"You morons!" screamed the first voice. "Look what you've done! Now what are we supposed to do! I don't even know how this happened! I should've died when I had the chance!"

Florian looked over at the basket that was floating in the water. A small black thing was furiously punching the basket's side. Although the basket was still a good distance away, Florian squinted, and realized that small black thing was actually a person. Probably. It could've been a robot, but Florian wasn't sure what robots looked like. He raised his hand to wave, but someone grabbed it.

"No," said Jade sternly. "You do not want to wave to those _people_."

"But why not?" asked Florian innocently. "They're in trouble, and so are we."

"We wouldn't just be in trouble if they spotted us," said Jade. "We would be in hell."

Florian gasped. He'd heard some of the people in Daath talk about that, and it sounded absolutely horrible. Eyes widening, Florian was once again terrified. He turned around, just like Jade, and pretended those _people_ weren't there. And then…horror of horrors! Florian realized their boat-thing was _drifting_! Straight towards the basket!

"Oh, dear," sighed Jade, hanging his head. He, too, had noticed the horrible drifting. "If only we'd gone this fast before."

Florian's eyes filled with tears. Why was this happening to him? He'd only wanted to see the little white kitty!

Suddenly, a new cry rose up from the basket. "Wait! Look! Look there!" It was the second voice.

"Shut up!" yelled the first. "Stupid!"

"I am _not_ stupid!"

"Yes you are!" the first voice screamed. "You're stupid, the whole world's stupid!"

There was a pause, and then, "No! No! _No_!"

They had been spotted. Florian raised his hands to his face. Oh! Strangely enough, the _people_ in the basket didn't sound like the soul-eating monsters he had been imagining. They sounded even unhappier than he felt. At least, the first one did. The second one was yelling, as well, but…

"Oh. My. GOD." The second voice was steadily rising, becoming more shrill by the second. "OH MY GOD."

Jade groaned.

"Jade!" cried the voice. "_Jade_! It's _Jade_!"

Florian, peeking between his fingers, turned around warily, just in time to see one of the occupants frantically waving its arms. They were getting closer…and closer…and closer…how strange those _people_ looked. In fact, they weren't a pair unlike he and Jade!

And then…the boat-thing smacked right into the floating basket.

* * *

_Come on, you know you like suspense. It keeps you reading, right? Right? Of course it does. This…well, really, this stuff just popped into my head while I was writing. Bet you can't guess who's in the balloon. And I'll bet you're dying to know what Jade was doing drifting in a boat in the first place. Not to worry; in time, all will be revealed. As long as you keep reading and reviewing. Oh, and if you have any requests or ideas, I'll be happy to hear them and shall try my best to work them in. And just to let you know, I plan on getting all the main characters and God-Generals in here. So...yeah, this might go on for a while._

_Oh, and once again, please write some Florian stories! He deserves to have fun, too. I mean, although it's fun to write about Ion…well, you know, Florian has more of a…SHH SPOILER…well, of a future. YOU KNOW HE DOES. Plus, Florian's so gosh-darn cute. Except when he makes you play hide-and-seek in that awful place…_

_Sorry, long end-note. I'll finish up. Thanks for reading! Until next time!_


	7. Another Encounter

_I'm so sorry for this taking to long. D:_

_Goodness, what chapter is this? Seven? Never thought I'd get this far, to tell you the truth. I wasn't even expecting any reviews in the beginning, but you proved me wrong. Thanks. I appreciate it. You're all such good people. :0_

_Hmm…I don't even know if I've kept up the right writing style…I really hope I have._

_Okay, here's the next chapter. I'd like to dedicate this one to Stitch Phantom, faithful reviewer and the one to hit the nail on the head. You'll see what I mean…_

_What else? I need to be doing homeworks. But…oh, it's so boring…so here it is. The next chapter._

**Disclaimer: If you're still confused, I don't own Tales of the Abyss. If you're still still confused, you need psychiatric help.**

**Super Chapter Summary!: While the pair in the hot air balloon prove extremely unhelpful, Florian and Jade find another way to safety…**

* * *

The rickety boat-thing shook on impact, as it collided with the floating basket of the hot air balloon. Florian nearly lost his footing as the boat wobbled uncontrollably. Once he'd regained his balance, he looked up, both eager and terribly afraid to see who exactly was in the basket.

As soon as he saw the occupants, Florian's eyes grew even wider, if it were possible. For there, staring back at him with the most ferocious scowl, was someone who looked _just like him_.

Florian's mouth dropped open. He knew he was a replica, and there had been others just like him, of course, but he'd never actually imagined meeting one of them. How exciting! And…and somewhat creepy.

Unfortunately, Florian's double didn't seem as pleased about this chance meeting as Florian was. This was evident from the way he was repeatedly slamming his fist into the side of the basket, enough to make a visible crater.

"No!" roared Sync the Tempest. "No, no, no, no, _no_!"

Florian worriedly raised a hand to his mouth. What was wrong with his double? Maybe he was broken, too? He was not left long to ponder this, however, as a second occupant popped up from the depths of the basket.

"Oh, we're _saved_!" cried Dist the Reaper…er, Rose. He threw his arms out in joy. "Jade! Jade! I always knew you cared about me!"

Jade coughed. "I'm sincerely afraid not, Dist."

Dist frowned, and was about to go on, when his eyes fell on a severely confused Florian.

"Ion?" Sync blinked several times. "Oh my GOD, Sync, I think we're dead! Either that, or Ion's come back from the grave to _haunt_ us!"

Sync snorted. "We're not dead, stupid. That's just another one of the worthless pieces of junk made to replace the real Fon Master."

Florian bit his lip. It was true, but…he wasn't really a piece of _junk_, was he? His almost-but-not-quite brother was certainly not very nice.

"My, my," said Jade condescendingly. "Brilliant as ever, aren't you, Dist?"

"Jade, you're always talking down to me! Everyone's always talking down to me!" Dist exploded. Not literally, although that would have also been quite hilarious. "What have I ever done to make everyone treat me like I'm stupid and worthless?"

"Dist," said Jade, acting as if he were talking to a whining five-year-old, "You haven't done anything to make people treat you like you're stupid and worthless. You _are_ stupid and worthless."

"Oh, that's harsh, _Colonel_," said Sync mockingly, although, truth be told, he was a bit impressed. If only he could be that mean and biting. He had to be sure to make up for these not-negative thoughts, though. "Where's your little sidekick? The one with the ridiculous puppet?"

Florain, who had been watching this curious exchange with a mixture of worry and fascination, suddenly snapped to attention as the little wires in his brain clicked together. Puppet = Tokunaga = Anise! Oh, he'd give anything to be off this awful boat-thing and eating cookies with Anise. Except…maybe not cookies. Cookies were what had gotten him into this sea-going mess.

Wait a second…was his not-quite-brother…_insulting_ Anise?

"Anise's puppet is _not_ ridiculous," Florian said suddenly. "It…it grows really big. And…it can hit stuff."

Every head swiveled in his direction. Unfortunately for Florian, the conversation had drastically shifted in the time it had taken him to, through his disorganized train of thought, realize Sync was insulting Anise. Nobody was really even sure what he was talking about. They were far too busy insulting each other.

"Uh, Jade," Dist said, momentarily forgetting the huge argument. "Is your little friend…all there?"

"He's as 'all there' as you are, Dist," Jade replied, leaving the answer open to interpretation.

Florian looked down at himself. He certainly _seemed_ all there…

"This arguing is getting us nowhere," Jade said, interrupting Florian's thoughts. "Unless you truly believe the power of argument will get you to your destination, then I suggest we form a plan. Otherwise, I'd suggest you get help."

"There's no way we'd cooperate with _you_," said Sync in that obnoxious condescending tone of his.

Dist made a whining sound in his throat; he really didn't want to die out here in the middle of nowhere. He voiced this opinion but, of course, no one even wanted to acknowledge his existence.

"I already told you, we're not cooperating! You two can go die, for all I care!" yelled Sync, forcefully throwing the handle that had apparently come off the balloon apparatus. Unfortunately, Sync had a mighty good throwing arm, and that handle thing was…well, it was a bit big. And sharp. And it stabbed a hole right through the bottom of the basket.

Jade stifled a bitter laugh as the basket began to fill with water. It took a while for Dist to notice, but when he did…

"Oh, my GOD, Sync!" wailed Dist. "Look at what you've done! We're going to drown!" He turned to Jade. "Quick, let us in, Jade, let us in!"

Florian, fascinated, looked up at Jade to see what he'd do.

There was a long silence as Jade stood and contemplated the situation. Then, with a deep breath and one word, he summed up his decision.

"No."

And with that, he shoved the basket away from the pathetic little boat and felt his spirits lift as it began to drift away.

"Um, Mr. Jade, shouldn't we help them?" asked Florian worriedly as he watched the basket float off.

Jade looked at him. "No," he said firmly.

"_Jade_!" Dist was screaming as he tried to climb the side of the basket. Perhaps he thought he could fly over to the boat that was getting farther and farther away. "_Jade_! Don't _leave_ me!"

Sync, unwilling to beg for help as readily as Dist, just stood there, sulking. If he was going to die, at least he'd die with his dignity in tact. Dist had lost _his_ long, long ago.

"Well, that takes care of that," said Jade, brushing his hands together in a businesslike manner.

Florian looked from the basket to Jade, deciding he'd better not get on the Colonel's bad side.

Suddenly, a hideous noise filled the air. Florian was thrown down as giant waves began to rock the little boat back and forth, back and forth, in a very vicious manner. And then, as suddenly as it had started, the commotion stopped, and the sea was, once again, peaceful.

Sitting up and rubbing his elbow, which had smacked painfully against the side of the boat, Florian looked around, wondering what could have possibly made such big waves. What if…what if it was a _sea monster_?"

"Mr. Jade, Mr. Jade," said Florian frantically, struggling to get up but grandly failing. "Was that a sea monster?"

Jade looked down at the flailing Florian, suddenly becoming very depressed. How in the world had he gotten into this situation? Why was he always surrounded by…_people_? And not just people…the constant-question-asking people, which was considerably worse. And they were stupid questions, too.

"No, Florian," said Jade patiently, or as patiently as he could manage, "It wasn't a sea monster. There are no sea monsters. There never will be sea monsters. In fact, I-"

But Jade was unable to finish his sentence, leaving it hanging as a large shape loomed up behind their tiny boat. Was that…the Albiore?

"W-what is it?" whispered Florian, who had his back turned to the contraption. He was terrified that it really _was_ a sea monster.

His question was answered for him, however, when a voice called out from behind him.

"Jade? Is that you?" It was Guy, and he looked incredibly confused.

Jade sighed. "Unfortunately."

Struggling to get closer, Guy clambered over various wires and obstructions. This was the last thing he'd expected to find when he'd come down to see what was up with the random pathetic boat floating in the middle of the ocean.

"What are you doing out here?" called Guy. "And…is that _Florian_?"

Florian craned his neck to see who was saying his name. It was that blonde fellow, Anise's friend. Guy, that was it.

"Hi!" called Florian cheerfully, still sprawled on the bottom of the boat and hopelessly tangled. He waved, which caused him to hit his elbow again. They were saved, and not a moment too soon, as he realized the water was already halfway filling the boat. First, though, they'd have to manage to make it onto the Albiore, and the way things were rocking…it might prove to be quite a feat.

* * *

_Oh man, I'm sorry it took so long for an update. So, so sorry. I just couldn't think of what to write, and then I got started on other things…anyway, I promise I'll try to update sooner. So sorry. ;_;_


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